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Kavahn Mansouri

@kavahnmansouri.bsky.social
2.3K followers 546 following 305 posts

Economic Development Reporter @ St. Louis Public Radio | Iranian American | St. Louis till I die. | #COYG | Have a tip? Let's chat. Kmansouri@stlpr.org

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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As rental assistance programs for tornado victims wind down, recovery leaders say many receiving support from the city are at risk of losing their housing. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
The tornado sparked a housing crisis in north St. Louis. It's set to get even worse
St. Louis tornado recovery officials are concerned that many individuals receiving housing support from the city could have nowhere to go when a rental assistance program ends next month.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
St. Louis officials say several smoke shops around the city have become magnets for violent and illegal activity. But new rules would make it harder to open the shops and easier for the city to intervene when shops become a nuisance.
stlpr.org
It could get harder to open smoke shops in St. Louis — and easier for the city to fight bad ones
The city’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee approved rules that will clamp down on smoke shops in the city.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It took St. Louis city nearly nine months to tell me they have no responsive record to a fairly simple records request. Here are all the delay emails I received along the way. Nine months.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
St. Louis officials are taking extra steps to make sure they get the tax revenue developers say the Midtown data center will generate. Meanwhile, the developer has filed suit against the city. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
St. Louis data center developers promise game-changing tax revenue. City officials want to make sure
St. Louis officials say they will fine the Armory data center in Midtown if it misses tax revenue projections estimated by consultants on the project.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The developers behind a $3 billion data center set to be built in a warehouse near the Armory expect to generate more than $445 million in tax revenue for the city over the next decade. City officials say they are taking unprecedented steps to ensure it happens:
stlpr.org
St. Louis data center developers promise game-changing tax revenue. City officials want to make sure
St. Louis officials say they will fine the Armory data center in Midtown if it misses tax revenue projections estimated by consultants on the project.
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Jason Rosenbaum @jasonrosenbaum.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is an absolute, complete, vicious smackdown of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. It's unanimous. @cleaver.house.gov will almost certainly win re-election now. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch @stltoday.com · 16/09/2026
The Missouri Real Estate Commission said the developers, who previously faced separate criminal charges, had been evasive throughout its case and ignored a judge's order to produce evidence.
stltoday.com
St. Louis judge won't sanction landlord state accused of hiding evidence
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: A judge delivered a win for St. Louis development officials this week, ruling in the city’s favor in a legal battle over a plan to use eminent domain on properties near the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency campus.
stlpr.org
Judge gives St. Louis green light to seize land near NGA
A judge said St. Louis officials can move ahead with a plan to use eminent domain on properties near the NGA campus, delivering a big win for revitalization efforts in the area.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
JUST IN: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed an executive order to establish safeguards for automated license plate readers, like Flock Cameras.
stlpr.org
Flock cameras to get guardrails in Missouri
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order to create safeguards around Flock Safety camera use. The move follows months of debate on Flock cameras over safety and privacy concerns.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This gif represents our morning commute right now. The stretch of Vandeventer between 44 and Chouteau is an actual hellscape right now. I see the vision, I love the new walk and bike paths, but please put down some traffic markers. It's chaos out there.
static.klipy.com
Mad Max: Hurry Up Get Out Of The Way
ALT: Mad Max: Hurry Up Get Out Of The Way
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Janelle O’Dea @jayohday.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
On a Sunday morning in March 2025, hours after Dennis Francis Barrett left his parents’ home in West Alton, Missouri, he got into the fender-bender that led to his death. Police officers responding to the crash found that Barrett, 38, had a warrant for violating probation.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Mayor Spencer previously said she couldn't ignore the "amount of good" the tax revenue from the Midtown data center project could do for the city's tax base. Estimates from the developer's consultants show it could net the city hundreds of millions. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
St. Louis OKs plan for Midtown data center estimated to generate $445M in tax revenue over 10 years
St. Louis development officials approved a plan that will net the city $15.7 million on top of the estimated $445 million to be generated by the Midtown data center project.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
St. Louis Public Schools officials told the Missouri State Board of Education that it is working to remedy longstanding transportation and budget challenges. This comes weeks after the state auditor gave the district another poor rating:
stlpr.org
State board signals support to St. Louis Public Schools after critical auditor report
SLPS officials told the Missouri State Board of Education that it is working to remedy longstanding transportation and budget challenges. This comes a little over two weeks after Missouri State Audito...
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Elijah Wood: It's Done - Lord of the Rings
ALT: Elijah Wood: It's Done - Lord of the Rings
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A plan to revitalize six historically disinvested neighborhoods of north St. Louis is moving forward, but some neighbors — even some who helped design the plan — are skeptical. “They need to put their money where their mouths are.” www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
10 years later, project to revitalize north St. Louis neighborhoods by NGA takes shape
A long-awaited plan to revitalize six historically disinvested north St. Louis neighborhoods near the National Geospatial Agency’s new campus is moving forward. Will it work?
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Rams settlement money and state economic incentives have set the stage for Downtown St. Louis to grow. Here’s how the St. Louis Development Corporation plans to capitalize on that momentum:
stlpr.org
St. Louis development chief says new incentives can help double downtown's population
St. Louis Development Corporation CEO Stephen Westbrooks says for downtown St. Louis to feel like a neighborhood, it needs nearly double its current population. He says new incentives can get it there...
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“The laws in Missouri when it comes to landlord eviction laws are pretty conservatively set up to protect the landlord... These are brought up as more of contract issues and business matters than really what it is — life and death, or being housed or unhoused.” www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
A St. Louis program aimed to prevent evictions. A short-term rental fee could help sustain it
Nearly three years after its inception, St. Louis’ right to counsel program has struggled to meet the demand of people facing evictions.
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Steph Kukuljan @stephkukuljan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Looks like demolition has started on the historic Crunden-Martin complex that burned during a massive fire on Black Friday www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
stltoday.com
Fire engulfs old factory complex slated for redevelopment in downtown St. Louis
Crews were called to the fire near 2nd and Cedar streets at about 3 a.m., said St. Louis fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. He said the buildings were part of the
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
McKinley High School is among the schools the St. Louis Public Schools district could close by 2030. Its band students performed a protest against the plan Wednesday night. “I hope they heard us ... We should be able to have a say in if our school closes or not," one student said.
stlpr.org
St. Louis Public Schools students protest against school closures. District says it's listening
In response to community pressure, SLPS officials said it plans to add more community meetings to gather feedback ahead of making a final decision about the district’s future.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Detroit’s turnaround could offer a roadmap for St. Louis. Civic and philanthropic leaders gathered to explore whether the city can reverse population decline and neighborhood disinvestment.
stlpr.org
Detroit had a big renaissance. Could St. Louis do the same?
St. Louis leaders say unity can lead the city in the same direction as Detroit, a city that turned around declining population, mass vacancy and the largest municipal bankruptcy ever filed.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
“There are these wonderful T-shirts that came out of the Detroit experience — Detroit versus everybody — it's kind of like St. Louis versus everybody.” www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Detroit had a big renaissance. Could St. Louis do the same?
St. Louis leaders say unity can lead the city in the same direction as Detroit, a city that turned around declining population, mass vacancy and the largest municipal bankruptcy ever filed.
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Will Bauer @will-bauer.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Fair housing advocates and legal groups are warning Metro East residents to be on the lookout for “bond for deed” scams that contain predatory terms that could leave homebuyers destined for eviction. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
stlpr.org
Fair housing advocates warn of 'bond for deed' scams in Metro East homebuying
While there is nothing specifically illegal about buying a home using a “bond for deed” contract, housing advocates want homebuyers to be on the lookout for terms that could leave them evicted.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Two diet cokes, a bag of peanut M&Ms and a dream.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
After 16 years leading St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge is retiring. She reflects on rebuilding the airport’s reputation, the end of the TWA hub era and what’s next for Lambert’s future.
stlpr.org
Lambert Airport Boss Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge prepares for takeoff after 16 years
The outgoing director reflects on privatization efforts, hub dismantling and how the region began rethinking its airport.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NEW: Spencer says data center critics are "rooted in reality" but proposed zoning rules will safeguard city from bad actors. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Spencer: Data center criticism is valid, but St. Louis shouldn’t be ‘NIMBY city’
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer says data center critics have valid concerns about the controversial developments, but she says newly proposed zoning rules will help protect St. Louisans while weighing e...
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Wildfire smoke from Canada has made its way to the St. Louis region. 😷 The Metro East had the seventh-worst air quality index level in the U.S. in mid-morning, according to AirNow, the Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality tracker.
stlpr.org
Wildfire smoke brings unhealthy air to St. Louis and the Metro East
The Metro East had the seventh-worst air quality index reading in the U.S. at mid-morning on Monday as wildfires in Canada sent smoke to the St. Louis region.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
NEW: A Midtown St. Louis building at the heart of a controversial data center project was pulled from a sheriff’s delinquent land tax sale Tuesday, despite its owner owing more than $2 million in property taxes. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Last minute tax payment saves midtown St. Louis data center building from the auction block
A Midtown St. Louis property at the center of a controversial data center project was set to be sold at auction for delinquent tax payments. After a last minute payment and a delay, some anti-data cen...
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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Hey, St. Louis, it's the closing days of the Mill Creek: Black Metropolis exhibit at @mohistorymuseum.bsky.social. Ends this Sunday, July 12th! mohistory.org/exhibits/mil...
mohistory.org
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Sunshine Gerry @gconnolly314.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
STLPR report on 7/7 #HUDZ by @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social “The Armory data center approval was already rammed through before regulations were in place,” said Kerry McCullen, a member of the Eco-Socialist Green Party, a group that has fought data center developments throughout the area. #BOAbb49
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Covered PrideFest today! Here's what we saw! www.stlpr.org/race-identit...
stlpr.org
Photos: St. Louisans brought the love to PrideFest despite heat, ‘hateful’ political climate
As a weeklong heat wave settles on St. Louis, the city’s LGBTQ community was undeterred Sunday as thousands gathered to celebrate the 46th annual PrideFest downtown.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
There are more than 9,000 vacant buildings and over 24,000 vacant parcels in the city. They cost the city tens of millions of dollars every year in fees and lost tax revenue. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Can $10M of Stan Kroenke and the NFL’s money help St. Louis tackle its vacant building issues?
A $10 million bucket of settlement funds from the NFL and Stan Kroenke could reenergize St. Louis’s efforts to tackle vacant properties haunting the city.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Five St. Louis aldermen voted against the city's beleaguered budget, which will get a final vote Friday. One called the entire process rushed due to the state-run police board. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Budget brouhaha: St. Louis alderman calls police raises 'undemocratic'
Tempers flared as the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted to give initial approval to a budget impacted by raises for police and firefighters.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The search begins for a successor to the airport's longtime director. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
St. Louis launching search to replace Lambert International Airport’s long-time executive director
In a statement, the mayor’s office said six experts in aviation, governance and corporate leadership will advise Spencer on selecting a new airport director.
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Preceding a data center summit in Jefferson City, roughly 100 Missourians gathered on Wednesday to rally against the development and construction of the centers across the state.
stlpr.org
Missourians rally against data centers as officials gather to discuss them
Missourians from across the state, including residents of Festus, gathered to speak out against the development of data centers.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Looking kind of green...
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Cristina Garmendia @howigetmynews.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Around 10:30 pm last night, the St. Louis Planning Commission voted out data center zoning recommendations. First, big kudos to the seriously substantial recommendations put forth by planning staff. Some important amendments were attempted and some succeeded!
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The right side speaker in the Kennedy Room in City Hall is struggling today.
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KCUR (Kansas City's best news source) @kcur.org · 09/06/2026
Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up.
kcur.org
Data centers are raising concerns and sparking debate
Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
A thousand threatening emails later, they did it.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
North St. Louis residents took aim at the city's allotment of settlement funding directed toward revitalizing downtown and called for more money for tornado recovery. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
North St. Louis residents call for $150M of Rams settlement funds for tornado recovery
Residents of tornado-affected neighborhoods of north St. Louis say the city needs to allocate more of the Rams settlement toward recovery instead of downtown.
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Le Monde in English @english.lemonde.fr · 04/06/2026
Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis,' dies at 56
lemonde.fr
Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis,' dies at 56
The French-Iranian 'died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,' people close to her said.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Full statement of Scott Pelley after he's fired from CBS 60 Minutes, detailing the sort of corruption of journalism Bari Weiss has brought to CBS News:
New statement from Scott Pelley:
 
There has never been anything in America like 60 Minutes.
 
The Sunday tradition is the most successful program of any kind in history. For more than a decade, its innovative growth on every major online platform has extended its reach to countless millions around the world. This spring, at the end of our 58thseason, 60 Minutes grew rapidly with an unheard-of 9% jump in viewers on CBS. 
 
“60” has been the number-one program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality, and humanity in our stories. When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects. Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.
 
The waste is heartbreaking.
 
Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause. Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos.For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done. Finally, incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc. In a case involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air at all. 
 
At 60 Minutes, we have fought harder than anyone knows to save the program that became an American icon. We owed that to our millions of viewers. I am deeply moved by the thousands of wishes we have received to “keep up the good fight.” Most of the men and women of CBS News are still in that fight. But now the collapse of values at the top has become untenable. The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable. The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well.
 
I depart after 37 years at CBS with one emotion—a heart brimming with gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work, very often at the risk of their own lives. I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again—a day when sanity, competence, and courage return.
 
Scott Pelley
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
According to WSJ, the five biggest home-insurers as a group didn’t pay out on more than 44% of claims resolved last year. STLPR interviewed dozens of residents who have struggled to get payouts from insurance companies following the May 16, 2025 tornado. www.wsj.com/finance/the-...
wsj.com
The Home-Insurance Coin Flip: Nearly Half of Claims Result in Zero Payout
Home insurers pitch policies as a financial peace-of-mind safety net, but in a disaster customers can find the apparent guarantee of compensation evaporates.
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Steph Kukuljan @stephkukuljan.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
If things line up, this would be the first new office building in the city since 2019 www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
City Foundry teases new St. Louis office development
The five-story development, called Two Foundry Way, would be built just east of the 270-unit apartment complex off Forest Park and South Vandeventer avenues
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Really terrific reporting from the Midwest Newsroom's Luke Nozicka. www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
stlpr.org
‘Welcome to hell': Kids allege physical, sexual abuse at Missouri treatment center
Fifteen people say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some sexually abused by other residents, at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that ...
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St. Louis Public Radio @stlpublicradio.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
More than 20 restaurants opened their doors last month in the St. Louis region. Here's a full list of openings and the restaurants we bid farewell to in May:
stlpr.org
Here’s what St. Louis restaurants opened and closed in May 2026
A celebrated ramen shop, the return of a beloved bar and a chess restaurant opened last month as the region saw a wave of new restaurant openings.
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Kavahn Mansouri @kavahnmansouri.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Mayor Spencer named Stephen Davis to the newly created job today. The position was created during a reorganization of her office announced last August. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
stlpr.org
Mayor Spencer appoints economic development officer to focus on St. Louis growth
Stephen Davis previously served as vice president of strategic partnerships and initiatives at the St. Louis Development Corporation.
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Steph Kukuljan @stephkukuljan.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Gateway South project shrinks in size. Developer given another extension. More here: www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
Gateway South developer shrinks St. Louis riverfront project after fire
Gateway South's firsrt phase now will comprise 250,000 square feet — less than quarter of the 1.2 million square feet initially planned.
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Ryan Krull @ryankrull.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
A wild Wednesday in the ongoing battle between City Hall and the Police Board www.stlmag.com/news/police-...
stlmag.com
Police Board blows off aldermen, fast-tracks drone approval
It was a wild Wednesday in the ongoing battle between St. Louis city leaders and the state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners, with the board approving a drone program over the mayor’s strenuous ...
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